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Europe expert Sam Evans led some lively debate about Brexit and cleared up a few misconceptions, too, when he visited the School to address QE’s young economists.

His talk, which centred on the modern history of Europe and on how the European Union functions, was delivered to an audience of some 130 Year 11 boys studying Economics.

A teacher and historian by background, Sam is the School Visits Officer at Europe House – the European Parliament’s London Information Office in Smith Square – and works with Involver, a social enterprise that helps organisations engage with young people. He is an Ambassador for Teach First, the Government-funded organisation that introduces top graduates into struggling schools, and has worked with NGOs on literacy in Uganda and Bangladesh.

Head of Economics Shamendra Uduwawala said: “Sam’s talk and the discussions which followed were very helpful in helping the boys learn about the world around them, especially in terms of how what they study in Economics lessons intersects with current affairs.”

Sam dissected the functions of the EU so that the boys could gain an understanding of how the various parts work and how laws are made within Europe. He also explained how Brexit will actually affect Britain.

The boys were actively involved in the lecture: there was plenty of time for discussions and a question-and-answer session.

The topics debated included:

• • How democratic the EU actually is

• • EU referendums, and whether it was fair that the boys were not able to vote

• • The timeline of Brexit – how things have unfolded and what is to come in the future

• • Whether Brexit will affect UK human rights laws.

Fifty pupils from Year 8 tested their debating skills under pressure during a visit to a leading girls’ school.

The QE boys joined an equal number of girls from The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead for the competitive debating symposium. After the motions to be debated were announced, the mixed groups of boys and girls then had just half-an-hour to research their topics before the debates started.

The motions included: This House believes the media does not have a right to intrude in the lives of public figures and This House would impose quotas for women in workplaces where they are under-represented.

The symposium was one of a regular series of academic enrichment events for Years 8-10 held jointly with HBS.

Nisha Mayer, QE’s Head of Academic Enrichment, said: “Students were very engaged and enthused throughout the morning. We lay great emphasis on the importance of developing oracy – the ability to communicate well using the spoken word. At events such as this symposium, pupils gain early exposure to the need to articulate their arguments. They learn to think on their feet and begin to appreciate the importance of keeping abreast of current affairs and societal issues – an interest that we seek to cultivate both during lesson time and in extra-curricular activities.

“Because of our single-sex environment at QE, there are also benefits for the boys in interacting and sharing ideas with peers from a girls’ school: we are very fortunate to have such a mutually advantageous partnership.”

After the initial debates in ‘break-out’ rooms, all 100 boys and girls joined together for the final, where the best six debaters did battle, each receiving certificates.

A trip to the British Film Institute provided QE A-level German students with the opportunity to see their set text – Good Bye Lenin! – on the big screen.

The group of 19 QE boys, from Years 12 & 13, represented the largest cohort from any school among the 200 pupils who attended the A-level event on German cinema. Proceedings on the day were conducted in German.

The 2003 film is set in 1989-1990 and tells the story of a young man who must protect his fragile mother from a fatal shock by preventing her from finding out that her beloved nation of East Germany no longer exists.

Head of Languages Christopher Kidd, who organised the trip, said: “This was an excellent opportunity for our boys to apply what they had learnt in the classroom in a new context and they really rose to the challenge.

“The boys also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the history and development of German cinema,”

The story of Good Bye Lenin! deliberately has strong parallels with the last two years of Lenin’s life, when the leader of the Russian Revolution was living in a controlled environment similar to that portrayed in the film. With the justification that over-excitement might cause Lenin health problems, his successor, Stalin, had one-copy editions of newspapers printed for him, which omitted all news about the political struggles of the time.

Sixth-formers got to grips with some high-tech tools on their mobile phones on a Geography field trip investigating gentrification in south London.

The Year 12 pupils were able to analyse the data they collected using ArcGIS software. Geographic information systems (GIS) enable users to visualise, question and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends.

The trip gave the QE geographers the opportunity to investigate the question To what extent has Northcote ward undergone the process of gentrification? The 29 boys carried out a range of human geography fieldwork techniques including environmental quality surveys, questionnaires and land-use mapping.

Emily Parry, Head of Geography, said: “As well as collecting data in their fieldwork booklets, boys collected it on their phones using the app, Survey123. It was a particularly valuable exercise as, in their AS Paper 2 examination, they will be asked questions about the fieldwork they have conducted.”

The fieldwork was undertaken in the Northcote ward in the borough of Wandsworth, along two transects (narrow sections through an area) – Wakehurst Road, a residential street, and Northcote Road, which is commercial.

“We chose Wandsworth because it is an inner-city borough that we know, from prior learning, has undergone both socio-economic and physical changes over recent decades. It is also an area that has been named in the press recently as being affected by gentrification and it is therefore a topical area of interest,” said Miss Parry.

“GIS has undoubtedly given the boys new insights and using it is a valuable skill in itself. It is just one example of the extent to which technology is embedded in subjects across the academic programme.”

Many businesses and industries are developing a growing interest in, and awareness of, the economic and strategic value of GIS, according to the Environmental Systems Research Institute.

Boys interested in learning more about the process of applying to Ivy League colleges and other leading American universities were encouraged and inspired by visiting old boy, Ché Applewhaite.

Ché, who left QE last year, is among a growing number of leavers taking up opportunities to study stateside, many of them electing to take advantage of broad-based American Liberal Arts degrees.

Ché is currently taking such a degree at Harvard and visited the School to speak to boys interested in learning more. He gave a presentation which covered Harvard’s extraordinarily broad academic programme, its house system, the financial assistance available and the 400-plus recognised student clubs. He talked about the skills and opportunities furnished by Harvard for their post-graduates. And he explained how to register and prepare for SATs – the standardised US university admissions test.

Head of Year 12 Michael Feven said: “His talk was well attended and received. It was wonderful to welcome Ché back to the School and to learn that he is having such a busy and enjoyable experience at Harvard thus far.

“It is invaluable to hear from OEs like him to provide current boys with a first-hand account of their experiences, to help them formulate their own plans and to inspire them to think about options they might not otherwise have considered.”

Ché referred in his presentation to the structure of courses in the US, whereby one can study a diverse range of options apart from one’s ‘major’. He had considered several options in the US, but Harvard’s Liberal Arts degree, coupled with its reputation in the arts, humanities, economics and politics, proved an irresistible draw.

He was attracted by the opportunities for international study and the option to continue studying French, as well as the extra-curricular activities. Ché has always had a keen interest in politics and current affairs. (While at QE, he was co-founder of the political blog, Whippersnapper, and set up QE’s Forward Thinking Society.) He hopes to reprise this interest at Harvard by getting involved with The Harvard Crimson, the long-established daily student newspaper.

“It is the combination of breadth of curriculum and the extra-curricular opportunities that holds appeal for many of our boys who have a strong interest and ability across numerous disciplines,” added Mr Feven, who organised the visit.

The School is meticulous in offering a wide programme of university preparation. A substantial number of Che’s peers, from the cohort who left last summer, are expected to return for the annual Universities Convention in March, where Year 12 students will have the opportunity to learn about different universities and course options from those who have taken them up this year.

QE also offers a dedicated course for those interested in American colleges. This includes an information evening and weekly sessions in the Autumn Term, as well as assistance from Old Elizabethans and from the US interns from the University of Connecticut who come on an exchange programme to QE each autumn.